Status: it is a horrible summary, but give it a chance.

The Protective Wolf

Chapter Seven

"So this is it," I asked Lukas, my mouth taken over with the chewed up content of my Subway sub, "I'm not all that impressed." He sat beside me, unconsciously leaning toward me as we ate and examined the book collection before us. Thinking about it, I realized how lame this was. Lukas inhaled his sandwich within five minutes of us sitting here while I was still working my sandwich twenty minutes later. I'm a slow eater and I like to enjoy each bite, what can I say? "Mine is bigger than this, and it doesn't include random old Spiderman comics."

"Yeah," Lukas replied, "he is also very proud of his comics."

"They are kind of cool," I said, turning my head to look at Lukas whose brown eyes were narrowed adorably, examining the titles written on the spines of each book on Markus's shelf. He didn't take any notice to my gaze, instead he just moved along reading his title and gnawing on his bottom lip slightly. I felt myself unconsciously do the same, just watching him. "What are we going to do now?"

Lukas didn't respond to my question as he emotionless face continued to be locked on the bookcase before us. I paused for a bit, waiting for an answer before nudging him softly on the arm with my elbow, "Luke?"

"Oh, hm?" Eyes still glued to the books, he shifted his chin up and little in my direction.

"What would you like to do now? I love looking at books, but I do like to do other things," I told him, feeling my hand shift onto his bicep before I could fully process what I'd done and stop myself from doing it. Lukas tensed slightly before flicking his brown eyes down to me, something flashed in them for a moment before he spoke.

"Um, I'm not sure actually," he answered, bringing his other hand, with an arm not being held down by my hand, and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "to be honest, I didn't think you'd want to stick around much. I thought you still thought I was weird."

"I never thought that," I spoke, again before I could stop myself. I bit my lip, knowing the unbearably heavy weight pressing down on my stomach was just guilt. Those pretty much were my exact thoughts about the guy after all. Lukas's eyes flickered slightly as they searched mine. "I may have thought that," I added softly, feeling him tense once again.

He began to open his mouth-probably to tell me it was okay and it didn't bother him though we both know it had. However, Hudson had a different idea.

The bronze haired wonder flung open the twin's dorm door and stood in the doorway with a bare torso and his navy flannel in his clutches. For some reason, it seemed like he hadn't even noticed me sitting right beside Lukas who snapped up onto the balls of his feet, eyes glued onto his friend. Hudson's eyes darkened as he slid into the room and closed the door behind him. The two stared at one another, not exchanging a single word until suddenly Hudson's eyes closed and his nostrils flared.

"But I need to, Lou," Hudson replied, his voice almost taking on a growl. I felt Lukas's eyes snap over to me before he tensed up in thought and hesitation. "Fuck it all, Lou, fuck everything. Just tell the girl what's going on. I need to go out there and quite frankly, I feel like I'm more important than some girl who you may or may not be actually mated to." My brain focused onto the single word, and I do believe you understand exactly which word I'm talking about. I felt something in my chest spark up as Lukas growled, making Hudson whimper slightly before he regained his sense. “No, Lukas,” he snapped, stepping ever so slightly closer to the slightly buffer guy before him, “I have to do this and if it’s really supposed to happen,” he stepped closer, “if she’s truly right, things will still work out. Everything would be fine, she may get upset and confused, but hell, she will if we tell her now or in seven years. In fact, she’d probably feel worse if we wait. Do you want her trust or her hatred, Lou?” Hudson paused, taking a breath before he shifted his gaze onto me sitting on the floor. “I have to tell you something, Reags.”

I nodded, unable to form any logical words due to the fact that my brain felt clouded with fear and anxiety because whatever I was about to hear I knew I wasn’t ready to. Hudson sighed, moving right in front of me and kneeling down. His eyes held fear, and worry, and possibly even pity, but he still grabbed my hands in his own and said:

“I know this seems farfetched, Reagan, and I know you won’t believe me, but whatever happens after this moment, I need you to know I’m not lying to you. I wouldn’t lie about this.” He ran a hand through his hair quickly before returning it back to my hands, “Reagan, do you believe in werewolves?”

Still completely taken over with fright, all I could muster was a lousy shrug. If I was suddenly forced to view the world through Hudson’s eyes, I would probably find myself looking at a petite blonde girl, with some killer roots showing may I add, who painfully resembled a deer in headlights

“Do you know anything about them?” Hudson asked as I felt the air tense in response to Lukas’s movement. He knelt down behind Hudson, placing a hand firmly and authoritatively on his friend’s shoulder. Hudson closed his eyes briefly, but he continued regardless, “Do you, Reags?”

“Um,” I rubbed the area between my eyebrows, “no.” My voice sounded light and timid, like I was being cautious. Lukas stayed quiet, allowing Hudson to speak more.

“I can tell you, if you’d like,” I just nodded in response, “Okay, I can do that,” Hudson shifted off his feet so he sat before me instead of kneeling, his hands still holding mine, “I will do that. A long time ago, like,” he stared at the ground with a weird look on his face, “a long time ago, there was this man. No one remembers his name because, using a simile you would enjoy being an English major and all—the man was kind of like a lot of writers, like you know the poet Emily Dickens?” I narrowed my eyes at him, nodding but not quite following. “Her poems never reached the public until after her death. Well, for this man—people call him Conroy—he died long before people noticed what he’d done. He created this monter, another lit connection would be Frankenstein.”

“She’s an English major, we get it Hud,” Luke spoke up, his voice sounded distant from behind Hudson, “you don’t have to keep connecting to it.” I was still stuck too much in shock that I couldn’t even nod my head to agree that the literature connections needed to stop. Hudson glanced over his shoulder, bringing up his hand in what I’m assuming was to give him the finger.

“Fine,” Hudson continued, pausing briefly to scan my face, “Conroy somehow created a man, who could turn into a wolf at the full moon. It was a curse, and it ran so thick through his blood it could spread through contact with the blood. Not like touching it, but getting it in an open wound. Uh, a bite would definitely not do a thing contrary to popular belief it’s in the blood, not our saliva.” I felt my eyebrows furrow as he said ‘our.’ Who is our?

“O-Our?” I managed to croak out.

“Uh, yeah, I was getting to that part, but I’ll just jump right in.”

“Hudson, maybe you shouldn’t,” Lukas spoke up, his voice cautious and deep. If a voice could resemble the sound of air, that would be how I would describe his voice at that moment. Delicate and so breakable, but it surrounded you and it may have been quiet, but you could still hear it clear as day.

“No,” I said, cringing when I heard myself and how harsh it sounded, “I’m sorry. I-,” I shifted my eyes to lock with Lukas’s, “I’d like to know, Luke.” He flinched slightly, but nodded. I refocused wholly onto Hudson sitting before me, our hands still interlocked. “Continue, Hud.”

He didn’t right away; he searched my face for any reason not to, then he nodded and spoke, “Lukas, Markus, Jackson, and myself are a result of Conroy’s creations. We’re werewolves, Reagan. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s real and I know you need time now to think. I would too, if I heard any of this. I’d probably have run by now to be honest.” He cracked a smile at me.

“I-,” I scrunched my face, lost for words. Why hadn’t I ran? Shock maybe, but also because I wanted to know what it was that was bothering Hudson. I wanted to know more about these boys. I also felt like I had to stay, needed to. “I need some time, you’re right.”

Hudson nodded, squeezing my hand, “That’s fine.” The room fell into a chilling silence as I stared down at the ugly dorm carpet beneath us. The other two remained silent, though Hudson did glance back at his friend who shifted a bit. Hudson ran a hand through his hair, “To be honest, I don’t really need to go for that run anymore, Lou. I feel better. I was all hyped up and angry and now I feel better.”

Silence fell over us again as the air tensed.

“Fantastic,” Lukas spat, standing up and exiting the room without another word. The air felt a little lighter once he left, but it also felt like unfinished business. I looked up at Hudson who was biting his lip, looking clearly upset.

“You’re werewolves?” I breathed, wishing he would say no.

Hudson didn’t move an inch, just closed his eyes and nodded. I looked around the room, anywhere but Hudson because in that moment my heart started racing and my mind was so clouded. Why was I believing them? Why wasn’t I questioning this? It was almost a comfort when my doubt actually kicked in and stopped being confused.

“You’re lying,” I denied.

“I’m not, Reags, I wish I was.”

The room fell silent again as I felt tears prick at my eyes. “I need to go now.” Hudson opened his mouth to say something to me but I flashed him one final look before standing up. “Please stop talking.” He just nodded, turning his head down to the ground and twisting his hands together. We’d stopped holding hands for a while and I was so unaware of everything I hadn’t even noticed. “I’m leaving,” I repeated before quickly walking through the door and straight down the hall to find the nearest exit. Now seemed like the perfect time to go for a walk, clear my head, maybe even call my Mom.

This news didn’t truly sink in until I was lying in my bed back in my own dorm room with Molly’s obnoxious snoring coming at me from every direction. Not even when I wandered into the woods, tugging my cardigan closer to my torso and saw a lonely trail of paw tracks leading deep into the trees.
♠ ♠ ♠
Sorry, I said I'd update more and turned out I never actually did, but I am now. Now, that I'm starting school in like a week, oops. But I'm good for the next week and may be spending the next weekend alone in my dorm waiting for my roommates to come which is prime time to write.

I also have been working on other stories. I'm on a werewolf kick I guess, cause I have another I'm working on. Oh well, hope you liked this.

(:

--and later on, it'll be explained why they can shift whenever they want to, I purposely did that.